Browns' WR Gordon has receiving title within his grasp

Friday

Dec 27, 2013 at 12:11 AM

The Browns haven't had a player lead the NFL in passing or rushing yards since 1980. They have never had a player lead the NFL in receiving yards. Josh Gordon talks about making history as he prepares for a season finale at Pittsburgh.

Steve Doerschuk CantonRep.com sports writer @sdoerschukREP

When was the last time the Browns came to the end of a season able to say they had won ... anything?

They are on the verge of being able to say so. Josh Gordon needs one last big game to capture the NFL's 2013 receiving yards crown.

In another year without a sniff of the postseason, the value is debatable, but simply having the discussion provides an amusement Browns fans almost never have enjoyed.

The last time a Brown finished as the league leader in a major offensive category was 1980, when quarterback Brian Sipe passed for 4,132 yards. Jason Campbell was born a year later.

The last time a Browns player led the NFL in rushing yards was 1968. Leroy Kelly delivered 1,239 yards in 1968. Rob Chudzinski was seven months old.

If you're looking for a Browns trivia question to stump the most insufferable know-it-all, this might be it: Who is the only Cleveland player ever to lead the NFL in receiving yards?

Answer: Jim Benton. He racked up 1,211 yards for the 1945 Cleveland Rams, who moved to Los Angeles in 1946. No Cleveland Brown has ever done it.

The Browns' franchise record before Gordon came along was owned by Braylon Edwards. His 1,289 yards was good for just seventh place in the final 2007 NFL rankings.

Going into Sunday's season finale at Pittsburgh, Gordon leads the league with 1,564 yards, followed by Detroit's Calvin Johnson with 1,492, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown with 1,412 and Cincinnati's A.J. Green with 1,365.

Oddly, given the fact no Browns player has ever finished as the NFL receiving king, three Browns finished No. 1 within the four years (1946-49) the team played in the All-American Football Conference (see related item).

All of this history must be explained to Gordon, who was born the year Bill Belichick became Browns head coach in 1991.

Gordon has an eye on making his own niche in history. After barely make a blip on the college football radar screen, he announced himself as a rookie in 2012 with 805 receiving yards. He is on course to double that this year.

Prior to Thursday's practice, Gordon didn't pretend he hasn't thought about next year. His goal, he said:

"Hands down, just be outright the best wide receiver in the NFL."

In Sunday's road loss to the Jets, Gordon barely missed topping 100 receiving yards for the eighth time in the 13 games he has played since serving a two-game suspension. He did go over 100 in rushing-receiving yards (97-22), which didn't seem like a lot only because of his insane recent three-game stretch of 683 yards.

Gordon has taken lots of hits and is trying to grind through a season that has involved the highest volume of contact in his football life.

"It's a long season, a lot of wear and tear," he said. "I'm feeling real sore.

"It's the last week. Guys are going to give their last little ounce of energy they've got."

"He had more than 200 (261 against Jacksonville) a week later, also," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "Any discussion of shutting him down is naive.

"We will work on minimizing his impact."

Gordon is averaging 120 receiving yards a game. If he hits his average at Pittsburgh, he will fall just short of 1,700 yards. Michael Irvin, a Hall of Famer receiver who played for Norv Turner in Dallas, topped out at 1,603 yards in his career. "Josh has grown a great deal this year," said Turner, finishing his first year as the Browns' offensive coordinator. "I think we all know that he can improve a lot more. That's exciting."

If Turner can be half as effective at grooming next year's quarterback as he was at turning loose Gordon, the Browns could be on to something.

"With Norv ... it's weird," Gordon said. "Me and him came in on the same page. He had high expectations, and I looked at him as a mentor. Ever since that beginning, we always had a great relationship."

Another losing season has strained the Browns' relationship with their fans. Yet, Gordon has enjoyed his breakthrough to stardom. He won't be doing a fly pattern out of the locker room after the Pittsburgh game.

Losing games to a positive test for a banned substance was a jolt. Proving he can be responsible and lights out on the field has been good therapy.

"You always want to get ready for the future," he said. "When it's the offseason, you're bored. You have nothing to do.

"You need the structure in your life. I know me. I can't wait to get it going again."

LAVELLI, SPEEDIE ... GORDONJosh Gordon leads the NFL in receiving yards and has a chance to become the first Cleveland Brown ever to finish an NFL season at No. 1 in that category. The Browns existed for four seasons in the All-American Football Conference before joining the NFL and had three receivers who finished No. 1: • 1946, Dante Lavelli, 843 yards, 14 games• 1947, Mac Speedie, 1,146 yards, 14 games• 1949, Mac Speedie, 1,028 yards, 12 games